The Sun. — London, England, 1836-03-11 00:00:00

0 ?needing thr;; ------- -- -- ------------.- ho pe d that th e - Report, and he therefore trusted and subjectamica .to . which it referred would be discussed in the same sin e spirit by Parliament that it had been by the Commis -I)ers--( Hear, hear, hear.) Sir ROBERT INGLIS said that, however much he re d and admired some of the Members of the Commis ' ° I I . the Report of which the Noble Lord had just brought up i;..-rwever highly he esteemed the Right Rev. Prelates who 11 7 1 signed that Report —he could not conceal from the House for e deep regret which he felt at hearing such a plan proposed , 11 . 4 , 4 .°Pti0n as that which the Noble Lord just announced. ;9 ills part, he was bound to say that he would not be a party the reception of a Report, the tendency of which he be ed in his conscience would be fatal to the best interests of the Church of which he was a member. He certainly should rt.ot differ from the Noble Lord with respect to the appropria n of the surplus which this Report proposed ; but he must 0 ! . 1 ,IY the r ight—taking that word in its largest sense, but with 01_4' questioning the legal power—of Parliament to deprive e l'e class of the Clergy of ally portion of their revenues for he Purpose of distributing it among another. At all events, .! should be no party to any such arrangement. If he under of ao ti(1 1 t h e Noble Lord rightly, it was intended that the incomes b ends Present occupants of existing sees, livings, and pre should not be disturbed ; and, before he proceeded fur ther' he wished to ask the Noble Lord whether he was correct mss, he ther thi s p l an meant to protect the rights of the existing livigs and prebends Lord J . tnative AUSSELL was understood to answer in the pftir- son ß. INGittL IS .—Then he was to understand that no , ee orect, Possession of a see , li v i ng , sta ll, or pre b en d was to he e vl in their income by the plan recommended by this Pert Lowl j s ir f? • RUSSELL.—UnIess with their own consent, ( )pita, INGLIS.—Unless with their own coneent ! His a tinni "vas that no such Commission ought ever to have been tieW nt ed; nor w as hi s v i ew o f th e ma tt er at all changed be the members of it consisted of a number of eminent pre as well as laymen. t hemselve s HUME thought that the Commissioners had done not wy..,tnemselves but the Church great credit by the manner in to 4'41 quir they had executed the inquiry entrusted to them. That shoulditgilirY~ however, have been undertaken by the Church an e e . aato • The only part that the plan on which lie had n e e . "us rvation to make, was which related to plurali 3, and no man, he thought, whose object really Was to sup- P e rt t e n , be . Church, could. deny that such things should be done oeha?...,with as speedily as possible. He was anxious theyshould eil' l tier how far retaining heads of chlleees and schools asttui‘.,livin„es was advisable. '" He thought that it was not, and, a tt .,'re was a surplus, it would be better, in his opinion,. i to 'en incomes such offices than to allow the parties to. e ee p a i d ee as to p t. r duties which they did not perform. This, he felt .„;suaded would remove half the evils consequent upon the 'eater), of, , , - piuraiities. k„, 41• • GO LIL BURN said that the plan now proposed had ei n .- 1 1 1 1 Prepared by those who were best calculated to form a CT, t judgment on such a subject—by the members of the verch itself, aided in the progress of their inquiries by those • n ext to the Ri g ht R ev . P re l ates, were most b oun d i n d uty bleuPhold the religion of the country—he meant the responsi of th e of the Crown. He had viewed the appointment iite'ne Commission as absolutely essential to the welfare of the eitieased population of the country, and because he knew the to b eulty of obtaining proper religious instruction in many parts . ie st e v erY great. In all directions the demand for religious e: ruction was very pressing, and the object of appointing a eavoscltruhtssion was to ascertain - how that instruction could be eet,_,,,naciently imparted. This could only be done by a ge ti ;1 revision of the state of the Church, beginning with the tnitl‘e!-t dignitaries and ending with the parochial clergy, and te e au v o ung their incomes to the altered circumstances of h t e t lte . -( Hear, hear.) He should, therefore, he was ready of - t e h tl 'ess, go into the consideration of the various provisions . to i e Plan to be founded on this report with a sincere desire b, T e it the effect which he should think best calculated to t e l c o l l . c_ s e the result which they all . so much desired,( Hear, oti t n and he doubted not that if the matter were pursued . 1,44,0t4h,at which should be the wish of all parties—a determi teen I° promote the interests of the Protestant religion—the pert t to which they must come, founded of course on this re the w ould not only give general satisfaction, but conduce to Dr interests of the Church itself.,( Hear, hear.) fel t r * ,L l .) SHMG TO N expressed the satisfaction which he 'ke p t nearing such a plan as that which these Commissioners Pla e .e n c° lnlnended. So far from taking any exceptions to that Ithi e ,l e was bound to say that it exceeded any expectation th e had formed on the subject, and all he hoped was, that ahe a l r nPles of th e H on . B aronet , t h e M em b er f or Oxford, ti le 3 " not disturb the unanimity which prevailed respec ing I, f. th r:e i ne in . the C . hu . rch which was now proposed.—( Hear.) u 2 e leading principles of this plan they must all approve,. ap n 4 , every b sixpence of the ecclesiastical revenues was to be lae;, •c Priated to the use of the Church, and the sole alteration ' es ed to be made was in the distribution of those revenues. Es Ater adva n t age cou ld no t b e bestowed on the Church t'ere lish mene—(Hear, hear.) Whatever the sentiments eau„,,‘Thich h e enterta i ne d respect i ng th e Ch ur ch of another Estlisted e had al wa y s h e ld, an d con tinued to hold, that the , - ""shed Church of England had not a sixpence of reve7 je4,t i nl ore than was adequate to the furtherance of the ob it. w hich that Ch urc h h a d i n v i ew .—( H ear , h ear .) Now, ser,,'7 un derstood the statement of his Noble Friend, the ext t i - e d-l s a the in comes o f t h e Bi s h ops w hi c h were cons id ere d sees"v4i.gant was t o b e a p p li e d i n t h e augmen t a ti on o f smaller B ust'i t l emoluments of which were utterly inadequate to ese.-„,,,tunse prelates by w h om the duties of them were dis el 1`. 4 1:, No one could doubt that the incomes of the Bishop m aintand the Bishop of Oxford were insufficient to Rev. t ', a wl the dignity o f t h e i r stat i ons , or to ena bl e th ose Right tr int , r elates t o diff use t h at c h ar i ty w hi c h never a pp eare d Il e % as r than when proceeding from such hands.—( Hear.) great, s glad, however, that they meant . to uphold the three the ere e es as objects of ecclesiastical ambition, and totender fositle"toluments of the others adequate to the duties to be tha t ; but b ee must at the saute time express his deep regret l p th at e Bareeet the Member for Oxford should be ie . ee fn,r4cllY tribunal short of Parliament had a right to deal with 4110 411 4 P r operty. The next part of the plan to which he e ! advert was that which related to Deans and Chapters. e a g. ' c 'd not wish to say that Deans and Chapters had produced l• elen n ed-- -that they bad not contributed to the advantage of trvtr 411 (1 promoted the literature and erudition of the coun us4,,er,,be did mean to say' that the benefits which had . been 'exte nt ' r om them were by no means commensurate with the li e 9t • the revenue which they received.—( hear, hear.) ea t h e ' r Plced to find that they did not propose to desecrate !rills and abolish sees- but that both were to be maintained staouceew integrity, although under somewhat different circum this e.rr It was impossible not to perceive the advantage of s issn eu Pgement. F rom the f i rst hour o f hi s b e i ng an Eccle tered Commissioner—from the first moment he en ehuchi .1.. the consideration of the state of the be urged on the Archbishops and Bishops ° lt i n th w ie "Pm he was connected, the absolute necessity yt ilnae e °mg the office of Archdeacon, and giving to the Cler tnn 3 " bolding that preferment a revenue- sufficient to enable th e o `,t Perform the great and important duties attached to frec in • e „ ce ,t The House must be aware the Archdeacon was Par eet ;: t lY called upon to make a circuit or tour among the of 1,4,14 clergy. The whole emoluments of the Archdeacon th ey :On he knew to be no more than 1801. a year, and as 1 4114, ! I st all admit that such an amount was wholly inade to see to th e d uties to be performed, lie for one should be glad th e j uc a Porti on o f the surplus applied to the augmentation of offi ce o e , r nes of th e c l ergymen .who filled this station. The fe rn it, Archdeacon was a highly important one, and excusethere ao to w for not discharging the duties of it properly. He arid e c , 4 tne to the last point, that which related to residence eanet'turalities. No one, he believed, who had considered the as far t c ould for a moment doubt that it was most desirable Plei.,tiat Practicable to enforce residence and do away with PlueatiLl,est--(Cries of " Hear, hear.") The abolition of tee eeie, however, formed a question of some difficulty, end only be considered with reference to the sai d thi s state of th e revenues o f t h e Church. When he 'net t h e be hop e d i t would not be supposed that he was tentrer advocate for the abolition of pluralities ; on the speedily, as wa s as anx i ous to see them done away with as übt ent Y, as possibl e , b ut not b e f ore proper i nquiries on the aiT„ had been made, and effectual means taken for insuring ' licehate cure of souls in every case, without the necessity te ne i l _ e xing to living s the incomes of which were small other old t t - l e S , In order that qualified persons might be induced to bad he He . He knew of several - instances - in which such livings Ala n ejected, and it was therefore important that some ee ede r t ind be devised to obviate the difficulty before they pro ecitelnde° pluralities.—(Hear, hear.) He could not tett The "c his observations without congratulating the House of th e e °ll rltrY on the prospect they had of seeing the abuses ,eurch satisfactorily remedied.—( Hear, hear. ) to t'lltio V. HA RCOURT • 11' did at c‘rrielootiutt their vi was prepared to give is can care to the plan recomme d d b the Commisioners, and views far as he thought they " ought to be The R e port was then agreed to, and ordered to be printed. Lo r d I PRINCIPALITY OF DURHAM, next, h °RN RUSSELL gave notice, that on Monday Action of should move for leav e t o b r i ng i n a Bi l l f or t h e regu tie Principality of Durham. kr SPIRIT LICENSES. tion. 13 IVETT and several other Members presented peti ape? "%Int Liskear, Stonehouse, and various other places, eexhist the increased duty on Spirit Licenses. rbeNsi%o.Vl,y,Ei eTT 1 ro se' n p a ur c su e a rn n in t t i o tte n e o e ti n cl t m o ne m h o e v f e tthhaet Actthe n ef Per eerl i t ' l : l IV : , ch. 75, as imposes an additional duty of rt 9!., th e T3on• sretail spirit licenses. This Act was brought his opinion e at . a late period of the Session, and did not, ti.e(ori:::tuanvaceteroi_iiriaer_tbeeeeerelive that attention which its importance and et t aCii ad t• its tendency called for. Its operation, as he had 1 1 found to be most oppressive and injurious o g f e ti L n dndustriou s class. In the last Session the L 'ivett) and xchequer, upon representations which he t Ject i nto . other Gentlemen made, promised to take the _h e te ie class in consideration, with a view of affording some relief theeiestion, but the relief afforded was far from 44114411not()elesttptettlit0feamitINvi; Isv le itt a hl i l i a t t s hii ; nni a t n h d . , i he ndee Righti general impression litetdleto relief total Gtehnutslemarzlieadd Lill hett'er I.The 33 111/ divi . ded among 21,635 persons, which t h an a mockery.. The supporters of the rig s thought that L a. ; but t h is they were repressing the drinking of spi ne pr o d uce , was quite a mistake.. On the ether hand it secs any t n• great increase o; , which had in mg* but diminie- Led relief of last the After a Oall ' e s's' • *aeti en erY, k r • were inaudible in -luded with his the task opposing this proposition was painful to him, and he begged to add that he believed the Hon. Member for Exeter (Mr. Divett) was actuated by no unkind feeling towards the Government in bringing the motion forward but he en. treated the House, before they came to a vote on this sub ject, that they would do him the favour to listen to the few observations which he had to offer—that they would not come to a decision on the question without listening to the facts. He rejoiced that the country was financially in the po sition which disabled him from affirming that it would be inju rious to public credit to acquiesce in the proposition ; he be lieved; and he derived the greatest pleasure from having it in his power to state the fact, that the revenue would'be able to bear this reduction. He, therefore, did not oppose the proposition on financial grounds ; but he begged to call the attention of. the House to the actual position in which this matter stood, and to the circumstances under which the propoSition was brought under the consideration of the House. He htd al ready said, that at the earliest possible period after the close of the finanoial year in April next, he would bring before the House the actual state of the income and expenditure of the country, and he trusted its condition would be flourishing enough to enable him to propose such modifications and alte rations of some of the branches of taxation as appeared to him self and his colleagues, _and as would appear also to the House, the best calculated to afford practical relief.—(Cheers.) The present proposition did not involve the question of a loss to the revenue of 120,0001. a year—he did not ask the House to consider that ; but in apportioning that amount of relief, he would ask the House not to decide on a mere review of the qiiestion of spirit licenses, but to weigh one proposition against another, and then inquire of themselves, inquire of their con stituents, and inquire of the country, whether, if they decided in favour of this one item of relief, they would give general satisfaction ? He begged the House to bear in mind •that the duty on spirit licenses was paid by the consumers of the spirits. —( Hear, hear, and No.) That was the real state of the case, and he thought the proposition Was so clear, that be did not at ell expect to find it contradicted. Not imagining that he should require much authority in support of his views, he had not troubled himself to seek any but in the soundest authority which could be consulted on such subjects, and he bad found at hand the following observation :—" Such duties as those on • licenses to retail ale, wine, and spirituous liquors, though intended to fall on the retailers, are paid by the consumers." - -- ( Hear, hear, hear.) The authority from which he quoted was, admitted to be a good one on such questions, being no less eminent an individual than the author of the " Wealth of Na tionss"--( Hear, hear.) He wished to bring before the atten tion of the House. the circumstances under which the addi tional duty to which his Hon. Friend bad alluded was imposed by his Noble Friend Earl Spencer. And here he must re mark that the Hon. Member for Exeter went no farther back for his facts than to that period. Why did he not go to an earlier period? If he had, he would have discovered that there,was a time, not very distant, when the licensed victual lers received considerable relief. If the lion. Gentleman, in stead of confining his view to the period just before 1634, had extended it to the time prior to 1825, he would have found that the smaller classes then paid for their licences upwards of 71. ; which sum was reduced by Lord Althorp to 31. 3s. ; and all who sold not more than 50 gallons of spirits in the course of the yeir, had had their licences reduced to 21. 2s. When Honourable Gentlemen considered the claims of the other classes of industry in this country, when they considered how that industry was borne elow'n perhaps both by excise regulations and financial impositions, he felt assured that they • would pause before they granted relief to one single class.—( Hear, hear.) He had always thought and had al ways said, that spirits were a fair article for taxation; indeed it had always been his conviction, that a more fair article for taxation could not bee found—( Hear)—ansi the limit was the fullest extent to which you could impose duty without creating - smuggling.—( Cheers.) Lord Althorp when he -gave relief to the country from taxation to the amoun of 1,200,0001., considered it safer to impose an additional duty on spirit li cences rather than on spirits. In 1835, objections were made in various petitions which were presented to the House against the license duty. No great objections, however, were made to the increased duty when it was proposed by his Noble Friend.'- At that time the boon of getting rid of the house tax was considered so great, that he should like to see the Gentleman in this House, when be saw the necessity which existed of obtaining some indemnity—he should like to see the Gentleman who would have resisted the proposition ; on the contrary, the question was raised in this House and in other quarters whether a greater duty should not be im posed on the, retailers of spirits.—(Hear, hear. ) 7 He knew how distasteful to the House these details were ; but the question appeared to him to be of so much importance as to make it his duty to submit this statement to their considera tion. Last year, in order to meet the objections which bad been made, he proposed that in cases where the conzurnptien of spirits did not exceed 50 gallons, - _ the additional duty on the licenses should be altogether remitted. Some Hon.. Gentlenien then said that the relief proffered would be next to nothing, in reply to which he stated that the principle of his measure n-a.n to give relief to the smaller victualler. In the first place, time number of licensed victuallers thee-ughout e ,England was 47,340. The Act 5 and 6NV illiam IV., c. 79, gave relief in 17,423 cases, being 34 per cent. on the whole . number of parties - who we're licensed victuallers. But let him call attention to the mode in which that relief was given to the 7maller classes, The night Hen. Gentleman thei! quoted from the following " Ileturn of the number of retail•apirit dealers in England who have received relief under the Act 6 and 6 William I V., c. 39 , • 'stating the total e.moont of such relief, and the number of those relieved under each:rate of d,ity. •At 21. 25., instead of 31. 35.,. 9,804; number in 1832-3, 14,191, relief 67: 1 ,-• per cent. ; at 41. 4s:, instead of 61. 65., 6 ; 454; in 1832=3, 18,349, relief 33 per cent., ; at 61. 6s. instead of 9/. 9s. 584, number in 1832-3, 3,005, relief 19 per cent. ; at 71. 7s. instead of 111. Os. 6d., 197, numbetin 1832-3, 1,729, relief 11 per cent. ; at 81. Bs. instead of 12/. 125., 207, number in 1832-3, 3,369, relief 6 per cent. ; at 9/. 95. instead of 14/. 3s. 71, number. in .1832-3, 2,229, relief 3 per cent. ; at 101. 10s. instead of 15/. 155., 106, number in 1832-3, 4,168, relief .2: 1 ,-. per cent. ; .total number relieved,. 17,423, ditto in 1832-3, 47,340, relief :3G per cent. ; total amount of relief 28,172/. 165." The above details showed that the' Act had given relief to all the smaller dealers, and be it ob served, to those connected with the agrieultural parts of the country—the very - classes for whom his Hon. Friend claimed relief. Tbe relief which would be given by his Hon. Friend's propositionwoU'd be given. just where J the House would think it ought not to be given.—( Hear, hear.) As evidence of the extent to which the countr‘ , and agricultural districts had been henefitted by his plan, the itight Hon, Gentleman referred to the following Report. of the number of retail spirit dealers who .have fee ceived relief under the Act 5 and 6 William IV., c. 39, and also the total amount of such relief : Number relieved. Amount of relief. Country England ... London ... 41 ... 200 11 0 Total relief Scotland - 1,596 1,85315 6 Ireland United Kingdom 21,635 £33,187 12 0 Excise Office, March 10, 1836. If 'this proposition were carried, you would give relief to 21,091 dealers in London, comprehending the whole of the gin-shops in this metropolis. Now he would say, that if they had a surplus to give away, it was not in that quarter that he would give it.—( Cheers.) He was prepared to show them, if his Honourable Friend would only afford him the oppor tunity, the advantages of repealing one tax as compared with another, and he would then ask the House to judge between them, which of the two propositions was best. He did not hesitate to say that he felt "confident the House would agree with him, and would not apply a surplus of 120,0001. to increase the sale of gin.—(Hear, hear.) The Noble Lord the Member for Southampton presented a peti tion but a few days ago on the subject of the paper duties, and stated, as a part of his case, the extreme hardship to which the paper-stainers are now subject. The Noble Lord spoke the benefit which it would be to industry—of the orna ment which it would add to our houses ; he spoke of the cleanliness and neatness which it would impart to the humble cottage, and he spoke of the improvement it would occasion in the revenue itself if the duty were reduced. Now the whole of the duly on stained paper might be repealed for less than the sum which the Hon. Member propose to waste for the relief of the licensed victuallers and gin -drinkers.—( Cheers.) For the sake of the people, for the sake of the industry of the land, he would say, they must negative the proposition ; let them at least suspend their judgment till they had the oppor tunity of comparing the Hon. Member's plan with his, and adopting the one which they preferred. Were there no Hon. Gentlemen who had claims to put in for other branches of manufacture ? Did Hon. Members recollect what had been done with respect to the glass trade ? Did they recol lect the relief which was afforded to the glass trade last year; the whole amount of the duties on which did not exceed the amount they were now called on now to sacrifice ? Did Gentlemen bear in mind the extent to which that relief had put machinery in motion? Did they recollect how it had raised wages ? How it had improved the character of the ma nufacture, and the promise which it gave of being an increa sing source of wealth to the country ? There was another proposition about to be discussed—a proposition which came before the House in the shape of petitions. The Hon. Mem ber for Liverpool had heard lately from his constituents on the subject of raw cottons. Had the Hon. Member for Exeter heard nothing of the daily applications made to the Treasury to carry into effect various reductions of taxation of real im portance, many of them recommended by the Commission of Excise Inquiry, many-of them which, if they could be effected would really benefit the community ? Give him a free stage and no favour, to discuss this question, and he was not afraid of the result. But his Hon. Friend let out a small matter, and to that he wished particularly to call the attention of the House. His Hon. Friend told them that there had been a general elec tion, and he said that the .publicans at that election had put forward as a permanent grievance the amou n t o f thi s tax. He knew it—the complaint was addressed to him also, and he met it. He met it, too, under a more arduous responsibility than the Hon. Member for Exeter, because he was connected with the Government who imposed the tax, and he could assure his Hon. Friend that it was not under the circumstances a very agreeable subject of conversation between him and the victualler.—( A laugh.) Which course, however, was it his duty to take here on a question of taxation? Not that which he thought rifest palatable to them, but that rather which he knew to be most conducive to the welfare of the public. 116' explained and they were satisfied—(hear, hear)—he heard no complaints, though he told them that it was the intention of Government to renew this tax. He asked the Hon. Gentle ' Fr"' permission to put the question fairly. Let there be a to decide whether the relief proposed by him to be sumers of gin was or was not better than the Chaneelici F the Exi Aat3l.l prono se d to courage to stand out, they were unfit to sit in that House, or to exercise the functions of a legislature. Hon. Gentlemen should recollect that there was the question of marine insu rance to ale considered. There was also a proposition of his own, which was in a few days to be submitted to them ; it was, that they should take into consideration the stamp duties.—( Cries of " Hear, hear, hear.") Hsi proposed in the Bill of whiCh he .fiad given notice, to make considerable re ductions in all of them. It was important that these matters should be considered, when they were giving substantial relief. But would his Hon. Friend anticipate him by a premature dis cussion, and deprive the House of examining the propositions he (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) had - to make, and of - pronouncing upon them its fair, just, and deliberate judgment. —(Hear, hear, hear.) His Hon. Friend could not be more anxious to repeal taxes than he was ; nor could his Hon. Friend be more desirous of giving relief.—( Hear.) It was his opi nion that Hon. Gentlemen would act wisely in making their first proposition for a relief from taxation to select ardent spirits as the most suitable matter upon which to afford relief. He meant to make his financial statement in a mouth, and should then submit his propositions to the House. If, after the appeal he had made, he should not be allowed to submit his propositions in the manner he wished, then he trusted that Hon. Gentlemen would feel it to be their duty to support him in resisting the motion. Mr. HE AT HCOTE considered that nothing could be a more fair subject for taxation than what were called gin -pa laces. Under present circumstances, however, he hoped his Hon. Friend would postpone his motion for a month.. Lord SAND 0 N declared that he could not consider the tax one which fell upon the consumer, as the Chancellor of the 'Exchequer had represented it. He viewed it in a very dif ferent light. If he regarded the tax as one upon ardent spirits, he should riot object to its continuance. Mr. GILLON suggested the withdrawal of • the motion for the present. The Hon. Member for Exeter could reserve to himself the right of bringing it forward hereafter. Mr. C. BARCLAY thought it much more likely that relief would be obtained by leaving the matter to the future delibera tion of Government, than by pressing it at this moment. Mr. HUME felt pleased that this subject had been sub mitted to the House ; at the same time, having heard from the Chancellor of the Exchequer that he would make his financial statement in a month, he considered it would prejudice the claims of the licensed victuallers, and lessen their chances of success, were the motion pressed that evening, when the House appeared to be under the impression that it was only fair and right that they should wait to hear the propositions of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Mr. MILES would veto with the Hon. Member for Exeter if he pressed the motion, for he considered the tax a direct tax on the retailer, and not a tax upon the consumer. He would not vote with the Hon. Member, if the Chancellor of the Exchequer had given any hopes that this tax would be modified. Colonel SIBTHO RP was resolved to vote for the motion, and hoped that the Hon. Mover would not give it up, not only because he (Colonel Sibthorp) was desirous to satisfy his own sense of public duty, but also on account of the delight which it would afford him to see a division amongst the Hon. Gen- tlemen opposite, and to behold the Hon. Member for Exeter voting against the Chancellor of the Exchequer. He wished to take that opportunity of asking when it was intended to bring forward the Budget ? The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said he would bring it forward as soon after the .oncl of the financial, year as the state of the notice paper would Dr. BO WRING hoped the Hon. Member would withdraw his motion. If not, he would move an amendment for the ad journment of the debate. Mr. P. H. HOWARD announced his intention of sup porting the amendment, and accused the Hon. Gentleman opposite of actin;; with suspicious zeal.for the purpose of em barrassing the King's Government.—(Laughter.) Mr. - G-OHLBURN said that on this:question, which was connected with the revenue, he would give to the Government that support which, if he were in the situation of the Right. Hon, Gentleman opposite, he would expect to receive. Until. the amount of S1111)10:4 was known, he thought it would be politic and injurious to tote for a reduction of taxation. Sir M. W. RIDLEY supported the motion. Lord ..T. RUSSELL would oppose the motion. The bets ter plan would be to wait for the Report of the Chancellor of the .Exchequer. He had stated that he had particular taxes under consideration, but that he had not made up his mind about there. ( . _lie (Lord: Russell) would certainly vote for the postponement of the question till after the Report of the Chancellor of the I;s:chequer- Sir W. FOL LETT said the propoziition of the Noble Lord was to wait for the report of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. That would be very well if the Chancellor held out any hopes of reduction in this tax, but he distinctly stated that he could make no reduction. If be would, .it would be well to postpone it ; but ashe held out no hopes, the question ought to be en ' tertained'how. The tar was - imposed in 1634 because of a diminution in the revenue; but nOw that there was an increase of revenue, there was good ground for calling for a diminu tion of this - tax. The Chancellor cf the Exchequer at that time said, the tax would fall on the consumer, but now it seemed Sir J. GR .HAM was neve;• wore decided about anything than in his intention to vote with Ministers on the present OCeaFitor Mr. DIVETT would press for a aivision. The postpone ment of the question till after the budget of the Chancellor of the Exchequer was a mere. delusion. It was flooring the ques tion for the ,e,r;sion—( A laugh, and " Hear")—for after that time it would be too late to introduce the question. He brought forward fite question, not with a view to court popularity, but from a souse of duty. _ • The question %I - al then put, "That the debate on this ques tion be adjourned until Thursday the 15th of April next," when the House divided, and there appeared— . .. For the original motion - 155 For the adjournment 165 Majority - 10 LAW OF LANDLORD AND TENANT. Mr, S. CRAWFORD moved for leave to bring in a Bill to amend the law of landlord and tenant. He begged to state the grounds of his BM. The Irish tenantry were in the most deplorable state ; they held their lands at a rack rent. Much of the land was waste, because the tenants could not reclaim it. The Hon. 7.llc.tner then proceeded to read some extracts from the evidence of Mr. Nimmo, taken before the Poor Law Commissioners in Ireland in 1835, to show the state of desti tution to which the Irkli peasantry were reduced. The Bill he proposed to introduce WkS the same in principle as the one he had obtained lea: cto bring in last Session ; but it was con. siderablv modified in its details. The Hon. Member con cluded by moving for leave to bring in his Bill. Colonel CON OLL Y opposed the introduction of the Bill. Lord MORPETH was quite willing that the Bill - should be introduced, that the House might have the opportunity of giving it a full consideration. Mr. SHAW did not. object to the introduction of the Bill, but he maintained that it was ,utterly inapplicable to the state of society in-Ireland. Colonel PE RCE VAL pronounced the Bill a monstrous in terference between landlord and tenant ; it might do much mischief, and, it could 'by no possibility do good. He should for that reason oppose it in linane, however unpopular it might make him. Mr. LEFROY said it interfered with the, rights of pro perty, and therefore he felt bound to enter his strong protest. against few words from the Attorney-General, Mr. Finn, A fter i t a . Mr. P. Scrope, and Mr. 'W. S. O'Brien, the motion was agreed to without a division, although the gallery was cleared for that.purpose. The other Orders of the Day were then disposed of, and the House adjourned at a .Quarter to One o'Clock. CHURCH REFORM. SECOND REPORT. FROM HIS MAJESTY'S COMMISSIONERS, APPOINTED TO CON SIDER THE STATE OF THE ESTABLISHED CHURCH IN ENGLAND AND WALES, WITH REFERENCE TO ECCLESIAS TICAL DUTIES AND REVENUES. TO THE KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY. We, your Majesty's Commissioners, appointed by Commis sions bearing date the 4th day of February and the 6th day of June, 1835, to consider the state of the Established Church in England and Wales, with reference to ecclesiastical duties and revenues, having pursued the inquiry thereby committed to us, humbly present to your Majesty this our second Report. In the remarks which we are about to submit, upon the mode of carrying into effect, with some modification, the measures already recommended by us, we shall follow the arrangement adopted in our first Report to your Majesty, bearing date the 17th day of Mardh, 1835, and class our observations under the heads of TERRITORY AND REVENUE. On the subject of episcopal patronage, we have at present no additional remarks to offer. The question is one of con siderable intricacy ; and we propose to make it the subject of aldistinct Report. Any general rule which we should attempt to lay down, would be liable to so many exceptions as to ren der it of little practical use. In the second part of this Report we shall have occasion to recommend some changes in the exercise of patronage belonging to deans and chapters. TERRITORY. - Objections have been made to two of the propositions sub mitted by us to your Majesty under this head—viz., to the union of the dioceses of Llandaff and Bristol ; and to the separation from the diocese of Winchester of those parishes in the county of Surrey which it is proposed to place under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of London. With respect to the former of these propositions, when the union of the sees of Llaudaff and Bristol was recommended , we were not insensible to the inconveniences attending that union; and the representations which have since been made to us against it have operated so strongly on our minds, as to in duce us, on reconsideration, to relinquish that plan. We now recommend that the city and suburbs of Bristol should be united to the diocese of Bath and Wells, and that the remain ing part of the diocese of Bristol situate in the county of Gloucester should be added to the diocese of Gloucester. If this recommendation is adopted, that part of the count) of Glamorgan, which is now in the diocese of St. David's, may properly be added to that of Llandaff; as well as those parts of the counties of Monmouth and Brecon which are specified in our first Report. With respect to the proposed transfer of certain parishes in the county of Surrey from the diocese of Winchester to that of London, the advantages which will result from placing the metropolis and the suburban parishes under one' jurisdiction , appear to us to outweigh any inconvenience which can be ap prehended from this arrangement. We are of opinion also, that the bishopric of Sodoe and Man may, without inconvenience, be united to that of Carlisle, as the Isle of Man contains only eighteen parisl , over which ho • has a le income, Minor objections have been made to other parts of the pro posed territorial division of dioCeses, which it is not necessary now to specify ; for, with regard to this, and indeed to most of the measures which, in the discharge of our duty, we have re= commended, or may have to recommend, to your Majesty, it will be requisite, for the purpose of carrying them fully into effect, that permanent authority should be vested in some persons, to be named in any Act of Parliament which may be passed for sanctioning those measures, who may be capable of inquiring into details more fully than would be convenient for your Majesty in Council, with whom, we apprehend, the ulti mate sanction will rest. The new division of dioceses will render necessary a corre sponding change in the arrangement of archdeaconries. We have annexed a scheme, which supposes the erection of six additional archdeaconries, and which will involve the necessity of a change in the territorial limits of dome already existing. Jurisdiction should also be given to such of the archdeacons as are at present merely nominal officers. We have said nothing respecting the future arrangement of rural deaneries, conceiving that it will be most advantageously settled by the bishops of the several dioceses, power being given them for that purpose ; but it is proper to remark, that if the rural deans are to be efficient officers, as we think they ought to be, it will be desirable that they should receive some small annual payments, sufficient to defray the expenses in curred by them in their visitations. With respect to the time at which the proposed territorial changes shall take place, some may be effected immediately, with the consent of the bishops concerned;, others, as for in stance those which relate to the formation of the two new dio ceses, cannot be effected, except as particular vacancies shall occur, nor until the funds necessary for carrying them into execution shall become available. This brings us to the second head of the Report, viz.-- REVENUE. The tables of the episcopal incomes already. published hav ing been framed upon an average resulting from the receipts of the three years ending with the year 1831, and from the statements of the respective bishops as to the probable future receipts, we have thought it expedient to apply for returns of the actual incomes of the several sees, during each of the seven years ending with the year 1835 ; for the purpose of enabling us to form a more correct estimate. At present our calcula tions are necessarily grounded upon the tables published in our first Report ; according to which, the average annual revenue of all the sees will be about 148,8751. ; a sum sufficient to provide incomes for all the bishops, including those of the two new sees, without the addition of any preferment in contmen dams and thus to accomplish one of the objects recommended by your Majesty to our consideration. But the, peculiar manner of leasing the episcopal estates, throws great difficulties in the way of carrying into effect the arrangement suggested in our first. Report. If the estates were let at rack rent, so that each bishop might receive, every year, about that which is stated to be his average annual income, it would be easy, upon the occurrence of a vacancy in one of the richer sees, to require the future bishop to pay a certain annual sum towards the augmentation of the poorer sees. But the great variation which occurs in the (~' .1 incomes from year to year, according as a amount of fines is received, presents an obvious greater or iez: difficulty. One mode of rendering those incomes less uncertain would be, to allow the existing leases; both for lives and for terms of years, to expire. But any plan for accomplishing this object must involve the necessity of borrowing money upon the secu rity of the episcopal estates, in order to compensate the bishops for the loss of the fines which accrue to them under the pre sent system, and which" form an important part of their in comes. The practical result of such an operation would be, to transfer to the parties lending their money, that interest in tie episcopal estates which is now possessed by the les sees. We are not, therefore, prepared to recommend the adoption of any general measure, for allowing the leases for lives and terms of years to expire : although, for the purpose , _of correcting, in some degree, the inconvenience now aris ing from the great variations in the annual amount of the epis copal incomes, we recommend that facilities should be af forded for the conversion of leases for lives into leases for terms of y ear s. ' In order to give a clearer vie* of the financial .part of the subject, we subjoin a statement showing the present amount of the incomes of the larger Sees, and the reduction vyhicit it is proposed to make in them : Estimated Income Future pr according to theopo,e,tl . P.,sces:!: First Report. Income. - Cantertury £17,000 . £15,00&r £2,000 London 12,200 10,000 2,200 Durham 17,800 8,000 9,800 Winchester Ely ll,OOO • 5,500 5,500 Worcester St. Asaph - 5,200 Bangor .R 84,200 i,20( e 55,700 3,8 u;( i 28,500 This reduction, when carried into effect, n iii famish pu nish annually a sum of 28,5001., to which is to be added the income of the see of Bristol, amounting to 2,300/. The total sum thus obtained, of 30,8001., being divided amongst the thirteen bishoprics, which require an addition to their present revenues, and the two new sees will provide an income for each, varying from 4;0001. to 5,0001 per annum, according to the circumstances of the different sees. The sums to be ap portioned to each cannot be determined, till we shall have re• ceived the returns above referred to. In the sees of York, Bath and Wells, Norwich, and Salisbury, we do not propose to make any alteration. We are also of opinion, looking to the variable nature of the episcopal incomes, that for the purpose of insuring the regular payments of the sums which may be allotted to the poorer sees, may be expedient to provide a fund, by allowing the sums which are to be deducted from the incomes of the richer bishoprics to accumulate for a certain time. Before we quit the consideration of the financial part of the inquiry, we will briefly allude to another mode, by which something may be done towards diminishing the present un certainty of the episcopal incomes. Although we cannot recommend the adoption of any mea sure for the general sale of the reversions of the episcopal estates, yet there are estates belonging to some sees, of which the reversions may, perhaps, be advantageously sold. Such sales can now be effected only under the authority of an Act of Parliament ; we evould therefore suggest the expediency of giving power to effect them, under certain restrictions, and with the consent of the , body to which we have already referred. The produce of such sales mity constitute a fund, out of which the Bishop may receive compensation, either for foregoing a fine, in order to facilitate the conversion of a lease for lives into one for a term of years, or for waving his right of grahting a concurrent lease, when a lessee will not renew. With respect to the Bishopric of Durham, we have been informed by Viscount Melbourne that your Majesty has been pleased to approve of a plan for detaching from that see its I i'alatine jurisdiction, and for placing the,county of Durham on the same footing, as to secular affairs, with the other English counties. We beg leave respectfully to state our entire con currence in the propriety of that arrangement, which we our. selves had intended to suggest in this Report. Considering that the Bishop of Durham will thus be relieved from the expenses incident to the secular jurisdiction in ques tion, we have proposed a larger reduction in the income of that see than we should otherwise have been prepared to recom mend. If this arrangement should be carried into effect, it may be desirable that the Bishop of Durham should be re lieved from the heavy charge of maintaining and keeping in re pair the castle of Durham, which may conveniently be appro priated to the uses of the University, apartments being re served for the Bishop. It is probable that in consequence of these changes, the excess of income, above 8,0001. per annum, which has been proposed as the future income of the See of Durhani, will be larger than has been stated in the foregoing table. We beg leave further to recommend, that the temporal ju risdiction which the Archbishop of York possesses in various parts of the counties of York and Nottingham, and that which the Bishop of Ely possesses within the isle of Ely, should be detached from those sees ; and that the districts comprised within those jurisdictions, should be merged in the counties in which they are respectively situate. It will be necessary to provide residences for the Bishops of Manchester, Ripon, Lincoln, Llandaff, and Rochester. The mode of doing this should, in our opinion, be left to the deter mination of whatever body• may be appointed to carry into effect the measures recommended in our Reports. A suitable residence may probably be provided for the Bishop of Roches ter, either in Essex or Hertfordshire, by the sale or exchange of his present residence. In further obedience of your Majesty's commands, we have diligently applied ourselves "to consider the state of the Ca thedral and Collegiate Churches in England and Wales, with a view to the suggestion of such measures as may render them conducive to the efficiency of the Established Church, and to devise the best mode of providing for the cure of souls, with special reference to the residence of the Clergy_on their re spective benefices." In approaching this branch of the inquiry, we think it im portant to explain the principles upon which we have pro ceeded. In order to give increased efficiency and usefulness to the Established Church, it is obviously necessary that we should attempt the accomplishment of two objects, which are indispensable to the complete attainment of that end. One is, to improve the condition of those benefices, the population of which is of considerable amount, but which are now so scantily endowed as not to yield a competent maintenance for a clergyman ; the other is, to add to the numbers of clergy. men and churches, and so to make a more adequate provision for the religious instruction of a rapidly increased and in- creasing population. It appears, from the Report of the Ecclesiastical Revenues Commission, that there are no less than 3,528 benefices under 1501. per annum. Of this number 13 contain each a popula tion of more than 10,000 ; 51 a population of from 5,000 to 10,000 ; 251 a population of between 2,000 and 5,000 ; and 1,125 have each a population of between 500 and 2,000. On every one of these benefices it is desirable that there should b e a resident clergyman ; b u t un l ess th e i r value be augmented it will in many cases be impossible to secure this advantage. The necessity of such augmentation will be greatly increased by the changes which we are about to recommend in the laws relating to pluraliti e s and re sid en ce. The means which can be applied to effect the improvement are very far short of the amount required. Even were no addition to be made to the income of benefices having a population below 500, it would take no l ess a sum th a n 23X,000/. per annu m, to raise all be nefices having a population of between 500 and 2,000 to the an nual value of 2001. ; those having a population of 2,000 and up wards, to 300/. ; and those having 5,000 and upwards, to 400 p er annum. Of th e benefices, included in this enumeration, there are 1,052 in private patronage, and 1,258 in public patronage ; the latter of which are, in the first insta nce, the preferable ob jects of assistance from the funds which we propose to render available to the purposes of augmentation; and these funds will be very far from adequate to the improvement even of this class of preferments. We think it necessary here to remark, that in stating the sum which would be required to augment all benefices of a certain population and income, according to a supposed scale, we have chiefly in view the propriety of laying before your Majesy some facts, which may serve to illustrate, though by no means to give a complete view of, the wants of the paro chial clergy; and we are far from intending that an inference should be drawn from this statement as to our opinion respect ing the best mode of distributing the sum, whatever it may be, which will be derived from the adoption of the proposi tions which we are about to offer. The question as to the general principles of distribution re quires the most serious consideration, and much additional inquiry ; and we must reserve, for the present, any distinct recommendation to your Majesty. The most prominent, however, of those defects, which cripple the energies of the Established Church, and circum scribe its usefulness, is the want of churches and ministers in the large towns and populous districts of the kingdom. The growth of the population has been so rapid as to.outrun the means possessed by the establishment of meeting its spiritual wants ; and the result has been, that a vast proportion of the people are left destitute of the opportunities of public worship and Christian instruction, even when every allowance is made for the exertions of those religious bodies which. are not in connection with the Establiihed Church. It-is not necessary in thi3 report to enter into all.the details by which the truth of this assertion might be proved. It will be sufficient to state the following facts as examples. Lookinc , to those parishes only which contain each a population exceed ing 10,000, we find that in London and its suburbs, including the parishes on either bank of the Thames, there are four parishes or districts, each having a population exceeding 20,000, and containing an aggregate of 166,000 persons, with church-room for 8,200 (not quite 1-20th of the whole), and only eleven clergy Men. There are twenty-one other 3, tlie aggregate population of which is 739,000 while the church-room is fCr 66,155 (not 1-10th of the whole), and only forty-five clergymen. There are nine others, with an aggregate population of 232,000, end church-room for 27,327 (not 1-Bth of the whole),.and culy nineteen clergymen. The entire population of these thirty-four 'parishes amounts to 1,137,000, while there is church-room only for 101,682. Supposing that church-room is required for one third, there ought to be sittings for 379,000 persons. There is, therefore, a deficiency of 277,318 sittings : or, if we allow 25,000 for the number of sittings in proprietary chapels, the deficiency will be 252,318. Allowing one church for a pcpultio'n of 3,000, there would be required, in these parishes; 379 churches, whereas there are in fiat only 69, or if proprietary chapels be added, about 100, leaving a deficiency of 279, while there are only 139 cler gymen in a population exceeding a million. In the diocese of Chester, there are thirty-eight parishes or districts in Lancashire, each with a population exceeding 10,000, containing an aggregate of. 816,000 souls, with church-room for 97,000, or about 1-Bth, the proportions varying in the different parishes from one-sixth to one twenty third. In the diocese of York there are twenty parishes or dis tricts, each with a population exceeding 10,000, and with an aggregate of 402,000, while the church accommodation is for 48,000, the proportions varying from one-sixth to one thirtieth. In the dioces:. of Lichfield and Coventry, there are sixteen parishes, or districts, each having a population above 10,000 —the aggregate being 235,000, with Church-room for about 29,000—the proportions varying, from one-sixth to one fourteenth. _ _ _ But a comparison between the amount of population and that of Church-room will not furnish by itself an accurate view of the provision which is made for the spiritual wants of the people ; because many of the -chapels, which contribute to swell the amount of Church-room, have no particular districts as signnd to them ; and we consider the assignment of a district h church chapel, to be necessary to the end of pastoral to on_ .or _ pet, necessary P' instruction, alti to carrying into full effect the parochial econo my of tit° Established Church. The evils which flow from this deficiency in the mean 3 of religions instruction .and paStoral superintendence, greatly outweigh all other inconveniences resulting from any defects or anomalies in our ecclesiastical institutions ; and it x;nfortn nately happens, that, while these evils are the most urgent of all, and most require the application of an effectual remedy, they are precisely those for which a remedy can be least easily found. The resources which the - Established Church possesses, and which can properly be made available to that purpose, in whatever way they may be husbanded or distributed, are evidently quite inadequate to the exigency of the case ; and all that we can hope to do is, gradually to diminish - the intensity of the evil. Mach imleed has already been done towards this end, partly by s. - .r; application of the first fruits and tenths, gralited by Queen Anne for the augmentation of benefices; partly by the aid of liberal Parliamentary grants for the same purpos' partly by the exertions of individual beneficence. The sums of money ated by Parliameat and administered by the com missioners for building and promoting the building of addi tional churches and chapels, have been met by a large amount of subscriptions and parochial contributions in the more popu lous parts of the country ; and the result is, that there have been erected 212 additional churches dud chapels, and that sittings have been thus provided for 283,555 persons, of which 155,935 are free and unappropriated. The incorporated society for promoting the enlargement, building, and repairing of churches and chapels, by the ex penditure of 196,7701., raised entirely by private subscription, and expended principally in tha enlargement of churches and chapels previously existing, has occasioned the outlay of at least 900,000/,, on the part of those who have received assist ance from it; and additional sittings in churches have been provided for 307,314 persons, of which 222,248 are free and unapprol:ri.ited. In addition to these efforts, many churches have been built and endowed by pious and liberal individuals. Upon the whole we rnay state, that within the last 20 years, additional church-room has been secured for at least GOO,OOO persons, and same hundreds of additional clergymen have been stationed in populous districts, which were before des titute of the advantage of pastoral care and instruction. But all that has been hitherto done, in this way, falls very short of the necessity of the case. We have entered upon the inquiry, which relates to cathe dral and collegiate churches, under a strong impression that if the endowments of those bodies should appear to be larger than - is requisite for the purposes of their institution, and for maintaining them in such a state of efficiency and respecta bility, as may enable them fully to carry those purposes into effect, the surplus of 'those endowments, whatever it may be, ought to be made available for the augmentation of poor benefices containing a large population, and to the great object of adding to the number of the parochial clergy. But whatever resources may be obtained, by carrying into effect the measures which we are prepared to recommend; it should be borne in mind that as the operation of those mea sures must, of necessity, be gradual, so also must be the addi tions which will result from them to our existing means. We are, therefore, desirous of not appearing to encourage any ex pectation of a large immediate accession to the funds, which are now available to the augmentation of poor benefices and the creation of new ones. It is, however, to, be hoped that the sacrifices which will be required from the cathedral and collegiate churches of the country will haVe the effect of sti mulating individual benevolence to contribute towards the ac complishment of these most important ends. Having made particular inquiries concerning the constitution of these several foundations, the establishments maintained in each, the revenues of the corporations, and of their individual members, and the disposition of their corporate funds, we are now prepared to recommend such measures, as will, in our opinion, leave a sufficient provision for the proper performance of the services of the churches, for the continual reparation and maintenance of the fabrics, and for the other objects con templated by the founders; and at the same time allow the ap plication of a considerable portion of their revenues, to the purpose of making additional provision for the cure of souls in parishes where such assistance is most required. We find a material variety, both in the constitution of these establishments, and in the amount and disposition of their respective revenues. For the purposes of this report, it will be convenient to divide the cathedral chapters into two classes, between which there exists a marked line of distinction. First, the deans and chapters of the old foundation; secondly, those ,of the new foundation. _ _ _ _ e ; and The former term comprehends all those cathedral establish ments which were founded at different periods before the reign of King Henry VIII. ; the latter, those which were founded by letters patent from the Crown, confirmed by Parliament, about the time of the Reformation. The establishments of the old foundation, though some of them possess codes of statutes, granted at different periods, yet appear to be go verned principally by the domestic enactments of the bodies themselves, and by customs, the origin of which cannot al ways be discovered. Those of the new foundation are, for the most part, governed by statutes, which were granted by the Crown, and subsequently ratified by Parliament. In the enact ments of these statutes there is a great similarity, and fre quently an identity. The principal distinctions between the two foundations, which bear upon the subjects of the present report, are these : the old comprise, not only the deans and canons residentiary, who compose the chapters of each, but various other preben daries, who are not required to keep any residence at the cathe dral, nor to perform any other duty, except that of preaching one or two sermons in each year. The dean and each of the residentiaries has, besides a separate endowment and a small fixed stipend, a share of that portion of the corporate revenues which remains after the payment of those stipends and other general expenses. Of this portion, which is called dividend, the dean receives no larger a share than any other member of the chapter ; except at Lichfield, where a different scale of division is prescribed by a local Act of Parliament. The pre-• bendaries, who are not residentiaries, have no share of the cor porate revenues, except in some cases, small fixed payments, but in most instances possess each a separate endowment. In the chapters of the new foundation, on the contrary, here are no prebendaries besides the residentiaries ; and ex cept at Durham and Ely, they have no separate estates. The dean, independently of statutable allowances, upon a materially larger scale than those of the prebendaries, receives on the division of fines a twofold share. The cathedral and collegiate churches of the dioceses in the principality of \Vales are, in some respects, so peculiarly cir cumstanced as to require that they should be treated in a some what different manner from the other cathedral and collegiate churches, although without departing from the main principles laid down in this Report. The churches to which the measures now about to be re commended will apply are— Of the old foundation—The cathedrals of York, London, ( I 'J ••• r:11 Chichester, Exeter, Hereford, Lichfield, Lincoltti-7, ~:-. ~' i'r t ~ ~.~_ and Wells ; and St. George's chapel at Windsor. Of the new—The cathedrals of Canterbury, Winchester, Bristol, Carlisle, Chester, Ely, Glo; Norwich, Oxford, Peterborough, Rochester, and Worcestii; and the collegiate church of Westminster. In all these churches the daily performance of the choral services is maintained out of the revenues of the dean and chapter; who also, in most instances, sustain and repair the fabric ; and many of these bodies have of late years devoted very large sums out of those revenues to the reparation and improvement of the buildings intrusted to their care. The advantages resulting to the interests of religion from the existence of this species of preferment, when conferred on clergymen distinguished for professional merit, as well as the benefits accruing to the cities in which the cathedrals are situate, from the residence of such a description of clergy, are too obvious to require illustration. Rut we are of opinion that the most important objects of these institutions may be secured and continued consistently with a reduction of the present cathedral preferments, and the appropriation of a considerable portion of the revenues towards making a better pfovision for @ti ~~~ l the cure of souls. - With these views we humbly recommend that no ne vi pointments shall in future be made to any of the stalls ofthe old foundation, which are not residentiary with the exception of some, the income of which is little more than nominal, and which perhaps it may be deemed expedient to retain, as marks of distinction to be bestowed on deserving clergymen As these stalls shall respectively become vacant, the proceeds of the estates or tithes with which they are endowed may conve niently be received by the treasurer of Queen Anne's bounty, and dealt with according to the provisions of the Act passed in the last session*, until it shall have been determined what final arrangement shall be made. The number of prebends affected by this recommendation is about 368. In a few cases, the income is regulated by some local custom or statute ; but the greater part are endowed with a separate property under a lease, either for twenty-one years, or (as more frequently happens) for three lives. We also recommend, that the proceeds of estates with which the deans and residentiaries of the old foundation, and those of Durham and Ely, are endowed, separately from the corporate property of the chapters, should, as vacancies shall occur, be received and dealt with in the same manner as is proposed with regard to the property attached to the prebends last mentioned. _ _ _ We further recommend that the chapter, in each of the churches enumerated, both of the old and new foundation, should consist hereafter of. a dean and four cartons, the estab lishment at present actually existing in the cathedrals of York, Chichester. and .Carlisle; that one, at least, of these canonries, where they may be in the patronage of the Bishop, should be made available towards a better provision for the office of archdeacon ; that until the existing chapter shall be reduced to the proposed number , _ no new election nor ap pointments take place ; and that the income resulting from stipends, dividends, or other sources, which would have been payable 'to each residentiary exceeding the number of four, should, as the stalls become vacant, be paid by the chapter clerk to the treasurer of Queen Anne's Bounty, as in the case of the separate estates. We are of opinion that an exception to this rule might with propriety be made in the case of Chester, where the income of each of the six prebendaries does not exceed 125/. on an ave rage of the last seven years. We recommend that the income of two prebendal stalls, as they become vacant, should go to increase that of the dean and the other four canons, which will oven then be very small, in reference to their station, and the duties required of them. In the cathedrals of York and Lichfield, if the dignitaries be divested of all separate endowments, the corporate property till not be adequate to the proper support of a dean and four cannons. We recommend, therefore, that in these two cases, part of the separate endowments shall be added to the general funds of the respective corporations. In the cathedrals of St. Paul and of Lincoln, the present number of canons residentiary is only three ; out of whose revenues we recommend that provision be made for the arch deacons of the diocesses of London and Lincoln respec tively ; one of whom, in each of those diocesses, should have a place in the chapter, which will then consist of a dean and four canons. The chapter of Christchurch being connected, not only with the duties of the Cathedral, but also with the govern ment of the largest college in the University of Oxford, and two of the stalls being annexed, by Act of Parliament, to the Regius Professorships of Divinity and Hebrew, it may, per haps be advisable that the number of canons should be six ; that one of the stalls should be annexed to the Lady Marga ret's Professorship of Divinity, which is at present endowed with one of the stalls at WOreester; and that this latter stall should be separated from the Professorship, and revert to your Majesty's patronage. With respect to some of the better endowed canonries, which will remain in four or five of the cathedrals, we are of opinion that they may be advantageously connected with the parochial charge of populous districts. The method of effecting this, we rbserve for our future consideration ; it being necessary to examine carefully . the case of each cithedral, with reference to its revenues and local circumstances. _ _ _ The dean and canons of Durham, when divested of their se parate estates, will still be in the receipt of incomes consider ably larger than those of any other cathedral body ; and we are of opinion, that a portion of their revenues may properly be applied towards the important object of maintaining in a state of respectability and efficiency the University of Durham ; for the establishment of which the present dean and chapter have already- made a considerable sacrifice. In the cathedrals of Lincoln, Lichfield, Exeter, and Salis bury, there are prebends, not residentiary, the whole or part of the revenues of which belong to the bishops of the re spective dioceses, and, in the account presented to your Ma jesty in our first Report, have been reckoned as a part of the Episcopal revenues. We think it advisable that these en dowments should be permanently annexed to the respective sees. We are of opinion that the term of residence of each dean, hereafter to be appointed, should be nine months, and of each canon three months. It is obvious that it will become neces sary to make some alterations in those statutes of the respective churches by which the turns and periods of residence are re gulated. At present, as we have before stated, the deans of all the cathedrals upon the old foundation, except Lichfield, receive shares of the Corporate funds equal only to those of the ca nons ; but from the superior value of their separate endow ments, the aggregate of their emoluments considerably exceeds that of any other member of the chapter. As it is now pro posed that these separate endowments shall be disunited from the deaneries, we recommend that in future each of the deans of the old foundation should have, like those of the new, a share in each dividend double that of the cation ; such a dif ference being required by his higher rank, greater expenses, and longer residence. By a custom prevailing in most of tile cathedrals of the old foundation, the residentiaries arc elected by the chapter from among the other prebendaries, who are in all cases appointed. by the bishop. We recommend that henceforth the appoint ments of the residentiaries be made directly by the bishop, except in the case of the cathedral church of St. Paul, where we think that three canonries should he in the direct nomina tion of the Crown, and the fourth, which will be connected with the office of archdeacon, in the patronage of the bishop. If the recommendation contained in our first Report to your Majesty for the erection of two new sees be adopted, the two collegiate churches of Manchester and Ripon may be made the cathedrals of those sees. At Manchester the establish ment is already so similar to that proposed for the cathedrals of the new foundation, that little change will be required, be sides the alteration of titles, from warden and fellows to dean and canons. At Ripon there arc a dean, .s. sub-dean, and six other preben daries ; but the dean alone appears to have kept any regular residence. The revenues of this church are of so small amount, that it may perhaps be expedient to make an arrangement, with respect to the prebends, different from that which is re commended for the other cathedrals. The Dean of Windsor receives no larger share in the divi sion of corporate revenues than a canon; but his income is increased by the deanery of the collegiate church of Wolver hampton, a prebend in the same church, and the living of Haseley, in the diocese of Oxford, all of which are annexed to his deanery. We recommend that, upon the first vacancy, the living of Haseley should be severed from the deanery ; and that the dean should in future receive a double share of dividend, as in the other chapters. The deanery and prebend of Wolverhampton will, according to the principles of this Report, be separated from the deanery of Windsor after the present incumbency; and we arc of opinion that their endow ments cannot be better employed than towards increasing the very slender provision which now exists for the pastoral care of that populous district. The small endowments belonging to the collegiate esta blishments of Heytesbury and Middleham should, we think, be applied to the purpose of providing for the parochial clergy, in the places with which those establishments are connected. The circumstances of the collegiate church of Southwell differ essentially from those of any other which has come un der our consideration : the choral service is there performed twice daily_; there is no dean ; but there are sixteen preben daries, each of whom is resident but three months in a cycle of four years. All of these, besides their share of the corpo rate funds, have separate estates, which would appear, from the reserved rents, to differ considerably in value. The gross average of the corporate revenue is about 2,2001., from which an establishment is maintained as large as that of tome cathe drals. The surplus income is divided among the four resi dentiaries of the year. Each has received about 2001. on ac count of stipend and dividend. We think that this chapter deserves separate consideration, according to its own peculiar circumstances ; but our present opinion is, that the archdeacon of Nottingham should be the head of the church, and rector of the parish, with one assistant minister ; that the vicarage should be better endowed ; and that there should be two vicars cho ral ; and that the separate estates should be dealt with as in the case of the cathedrals of the old foundation. We t taken r into provision v isi n present e s consideration ent m th a the important nature of de for the great majo the duties belong in g to the office of archdeacon, and the ina dequacy haveof r ity of these officers, the numbe r o f w h om we have proposed will be imposed by increase, and upon whom additional labour d by the regulations which we are prepared to recommend. Their remuneration arises principally from small payments made to them at their visitations, under the name of procurations, the amount of. which is the same as it was several centuries ago. The total of their emoluments is, in most cases, not adequate to defray the necessary toxpences even of their,ordinary visita tions, still less those of their/parochial circuits, the regular * Five and 6 Wm. IV. c. SD, for protecting the revenues of vacant ecclesiastical dignities, prebends, canonries, and benefices without cure of souls, and for preventing the lapse thereof, d ur i ng the r endi ng inquiries respecting the state of the Established Church in Lngland and Wales. 'A)t , t) ; I'7 9... ; THE seN 5 LONDON, FRIDAY, MARCH ii, :i3iii il.